Hepatitis Hepatitis is any of several liver
diseases characterised by inflammation, liver enlargement, jaundice,
fever and abdominal pain. It can be caused by a number of different
etiologies: some of these are drug, alcohol, or toxin-induced
hepatitis, autoimmune disease, cholestasis, and viral hepatitis. The
commonest forms of viral hepatitis are known as hepatitis A, hepatitis
B, Hepatitis is any of several liver diseases characterised by
inflammation, liver enlargement, jaundice, fever and abdominal pain. It
can be caused by a number of different etiologies: some of these are
drug, alcohol, or toxin-induced hepatitis, autoimmune disease,
cholestasis, and viral hepatitis. The commonest forms of viral
hepatitis are known as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C; all
three of these are caused by viruses that can be transmitted sexually,
by blood transfusion, or by shared syringes (see needle-exchange
programme). Hepatitis A (which is often a milder form of this disease),
is frequently transmitted by contaminated food, a route called
fecal-oral contamination. Hepatitis B more often involves transmission
by exposure to blood or other body fluids. About 1 million people die
worldwide as a result of hepatitis B, often either of liver failure or
liver cancer. Two other viruses are known, hepatitis D and E, but
considered as "additional" complications for types B and C. Other
viruses, such as cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus, can also cause
infectious hepatitis. Hepatitis C infection can exist undetected for
periods as long as 10 to 20 years, and researchers estimate that
millions of people are infected and have not yet displayed any symptoms.